Pope urges youth to share their faith

Pope Benedict XVI urged more than a million young people to become missionaries for the faith today, giving them words of encouragement as he concluded the church's youth festival.

He told the crowd at a Madrid airfield hosting World Youth Day that they should not keep their faith private but participate fully in the life of their parishes and remain in communion with the church.

"So do not keep Christ to yourselves. Share with others the joy of your faith," he said.

Hours earlier, a fierce thunderstorm during a prayer vigil at the airfield had forced Benedict to cut short his remarks and slightly injured six people when a tent collapsed.

Some makeshift chapels set up on the field's perimeter were also damaged, forcing organisers to announce this morning over loudspeakers that not everyone would be able to receive Communion during the Mass.

Despite the discomfort, pilgrims who spent the night in sleeping bags, tents and under tarps seemed unfazed as they awoke to sunny skies.

Organizers announced they were opening a new area at the base to accommodate late arrivals.

"The night was amazing, I didn't sleep at all," said Adrinna Wista, a 21-year-old Polish pilgrim. "We stayed the night chatting, meeting new people and praying with them. Amazing."

Cristina Velasquez, a 29-year-old from Venezuela, said she spent the night with a group of Indian pilgrims after police, who had initially told her the airfield was full, let her in as the rain came down.

"Sleeping was difficult because the ground is quite stony. But waking up was indescribable, we are all so happy and united," she said. "The Pope's words have made me proud to be making this sacrifice for his and Christ's sake."

Neither police nor the regional government have provided an official crowd count, but police said it was almost certainly over one million, which matches the predictions by organisers.

Benedict arrived at the field this morning and processed through the crowd in his white popemobile to the cheers and chants of the flag-waving pilgrims. Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were on hand.

In his initial remarks to the crowd, Benedict said he hoped the young people had managed to get some sleep despite the weather. Yesterday, hundreds had been treated for heat-related problems amid temperatures that soared to 40C (104F).

The 84-year-old pontiff was kept comfortable during today's Mass by a cooling system erected on the altar; a steady mist blew down on him.

This is Benedict's third World Youth Day, the gathering of young Catholics from around the world once every three years that was launched a quarter-century ago by Pope John Paul II in a bid to reinvigorate and spread the faith among the young.